Retribution of Coruscant
The Imperial Retribution of Coruscant, also known as the Sixth Battle of Coruscant, was the first major battle of 15 ABY, proceeding several months after the Desolation of Cochran. It was the culmination of nearly two years of planning, realized by the Imperial Blitzkrieg. The battle saw the elimination of the New Republic Senate, the capture of Coruscant by the Galactic Empire, and a great loss of New Republic Military resources. History Coruscant, known as Imperial Center during the Imperial reign, was the capital of the Galactic Empire since its inception in 19 BBY. After the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY and the subsequent death of Emperor Palpatine, the Empire fragmented. Coruscant was rendered vulnerable and was soon lost to the Rebel Alliance, leading to the birth of the New Republic. The Empire was finally reorganized in 8 ABY under the leadership of Bacharan Valak. Utilizing the Death Star III, Valak swept across Republic territory, eventually capturing Coruscant in 9 ABY. The New Republic faced a crisis: it had already lost Mon Calamari and the strategic shipyards of both Calamari and Sluis Van. The largest shipyards left to the Republic were the Corellian Engineering Corporation at Corellia, but the political climate on Corellia soon turned against the Republic: faced with a secessionist movement and an Imperial attack, Corellia forbade Republic military units to use Corellian ports. To add further damage, Kashyyyk withdrew from the Republic after the Imperial invasion. The Republic was on the verge of collapse. However, the tides of war would once again sway in the Republic's favor. Further conflict (the Imperial Civil War and the War of the Throne), the destruction of the Death Star III, and the disappearance of Valak all contributed to Coruscant's recapture by the Republic in 13 ABY. The Senate was reestablished on Coruscant, the shipyards at Dac rebuilt. The Empire's fortunes were reversed, signaling hope to a beleaguered Republic. Empire's Rebirth Darth Malign, under orders of the mysterious Aleister Vadim, usurped Darth Malus from the throne of the Empire in late 13 ABY. Malign, preparing the way for Vadim's rise to the throne, took control of the Empire and initiated a plan of reconstruction to save the Empire. Under the direction of Grand Moff Scaven Marx, Selene was rebuilt. The government was reorganized. The military underwent drastic repair and modification. Danik Kreldin returned from fighting in the Third Imperial Civil War to serve as an Advisor to Malign. Kreldin planned what became known as the Imperial Blitzkrieg. Countless star systems fell to a revitalized Imperial war effort, under the direction of Malign and Kreldin. The grand plan, however, was to seize Coruscant. Core Worlds fell at a high rate, and by the end of the Blitzkrieg, Coruscant was completely cut off from the rest of the New Republic. Once again, the Republic faced a crisis: they had spent a large portion of their fleet in their kamikaze run on the Death Star in 11 ABY, and the lost of all major shipyards minus the rebuilt ones over Dac left the Republic in a lack of naval ships. Dac was cut off from major trade routes, and Coruscant itself was entirely encircled by the Empire. A blockade was initiated by Kreldin, with Corulag serving as a frontline base of operations for nonstop blockade missions throughout the Coruscant system. The plan was simple: cut off Coruscant and starve it, paving the way for invasion. However, before Kreldin could send in the Imperial fleet, he was ordered to stand down and hold the blockade. Warlord Korolov had a new plan. An Elusive Beginning Under the guise of Senator Viktor Faust, Korolov infiltrated the Republic Senate, serving as the Senator of Coruscant. Over the period of several months, Korolov worked to undermine the Republic from within. Meanwhile, economic crisis ravaged Coruscant, a city with a population of over one hundred trillion. Food and basic necessities became scarce due to the blockade held by Kreldin, and the New Republic stepped up efforts to relieve the planet - efforts, such as Operation Shado Kolpo, ended in failure, putting the New Republic military in an even worse position. This poor position led many in the Republic, such as Senator Jenya Vala, to doubt the military. The Empire on Coruscant seemed inevitable. Meanwhile, Korolov, still under the guise of Faust, initiated several incidents that led to the culmination of his grand plan. Darth Malign, using elements of the 501st Legion, terrorized Coruscant for weeks, bombing the New Republic military base and causing havoc across the planet. Finally, a phony assassination attempt on Faust's life led to the false Senator urging for a boost in Coruscant Guard numbers. The Senator's plea was heard in the Senate, and his motion was passed. New troops for the Coruscant Guard arrived daily. Secretly, these new Guardsmen were Imperial Stormtroopers in disguise, serving Korolov and the Empire without question. The Sith were aided once again by the distracting, clouding power of the dark side, which kept the keen eyes of Luke Skywalker and his Jedi Order from discovering the truth behind the plot. Triggered :As political intrigue continued to bog down the Republic, Korolov initiated his plan. During a special session of the Senate, a series of elaborate bombs were set off, killing many and bringing the Senate down. Luke Skywalker, having finally seen through the cloud of the dark side and discovering what was about to happen, barely managed to get a warning transmitted to Rook Barnsdale mere moments before the bombings began. Aided by the Jedi Master and some members of the New Republic Fleet, the New Republic Marines prevented widespread disaster, but they could not stop Korolov's plan. :Faust revealed himself to the the Empire's Warlord, and the bombs triggered the full measure of his operation. All across the planet, the Stormtrooper units embedded within the Coruscant Guard became active, launching surprise attacks on New Republic military installations across the planet. Even in the Senate, as the bombs went off, these undercover Stormtroopers began slaughtering Senators and dignitaries whom, only moments ago, they were pretenting to protect. :A potentially fierce battle between Skywalker and Korolov was dissuaded when the Jedi Master had to disengage to prevent a portion of the ceiling from collapsing and killing General Ikihsa Enb'zik and Chief of State Leia Organa Solo, who were both injured during the bombing and later evacuated by New Republic Colonel Snal'fasthalli Teague-Ikihsa. :The Senate was destroyed. Hours later, the Empire had captured the Imperial Palace, which months ago had been attacked by Kreldin and commandos. :Above, as terror spread across the planet, Kreldin and the Imperial fleet finally moved in. The Fleets Engage :Closing in on every side, the Imperial Navy was relentless. The New Republic Navy was quick to reinforce the main battle lines of the fleet, but was unable to stand against the might of the Empire. The fiercest of battles took place when Task Force Hammer breached the New Republic Second Fleet's battle line within hours, allowing them to deploy more units of the 501st Legion to assist in the ground war through a wedge in the New Republic's defense line. :Once the landing procedures began, Imperial Fleetships redirected their efforts to reinforce Main Supply Route Tuskin, in order to prevent the New Republic forces from disrupting troop and supply shipments to the planet. The [[ISC Broadsword|HIMS Broadsword]] succeeded in their mission to prevent the [[NRSD Reprisal|NRSD Reprisal]] from entering the Engagement Area. Reprisal was forced into a tactical withdraw, and immediately began preparations for a counter attack. The Ground War With the entire ecumenopolius of Coruscant seemingly erupted in a civil war between members of the Coruscant Guard, the undercover Stormtroopers from the 501st Legion were bolstered by more of the Imperial Army as Kreldin's Fleet began dumping more and more troops onto the planet below. In order to defend the public Starport and better protect as much of the area as possible around the Military Headquarters on Coruscant, the New Republic Marine Corps were deployed from the NRSD Reprisal. Safekeeping Jedi Artifacts :While most of the Jedi Order's important artifacts and histories had been evacuated to a secret location some time ago, a few important objects had remained on Coruscant. As the fleets engaged above, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker orchestrated a covert operation to get the artifacts out of the Jedi Order's temporary sequestered headquarters. :A scrambled communication sent to the rooftop apartment cued Kyrin Sh'vani and Brandis Finian to get the artifacts together and escape to a location determined by Skywalker to be safe and free of war. Enlisting the help of Vengan Draelis and Aramis Tyrese, Luke met Finian and Sh'vani at the location, which was in close proximity to one of the New Republic Marine Corps' ground installations, the Blockworth Garrison. :Before the team could make a strategic decision on how to proceed, however, Imperial Forces began attacking the nearby Blockworth Garrison. Skywalker's entourage attracted the attention of an Imperial speeder patrol, and were chased into the lower levels of the city. Luke was separated from the others in an attempt to take down one of the speeders, but all of them were able to dispatch their pursuers and escape safely to a secret landing pad, where the artifacts were loaded on board Finian's starship, the ''Rising Phoenix''. The Menrai Corridor :Taking charge of the ground defenses, the 224th Marine Battalion sent scouts into the area. Using information brought back by the scouts, the marines were able to establish a corridor running from the New Republic's Military H.Q., through one of the primary Star Anchorages, then southward to the Menrai Mountains. In a series of cautious and covert moves, the marines of Alpha Company and Delta Company set up and held the corridor while slowly bringing in the pieces for a full Forward Operations Base, which they set up at the plaza below the Menrai Shrine. The plaza, with its transparasteel canopy and easily established choke-points, was an ideal location. :As the New Republic Marines began to fortify and strengthen the Menrai Corridor, elements of the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps quickly began hitting the corridor's perimeter. Meanwhile, elements of the 501st Legion made an attempt to dismantle the N.R.'s Forward Operations Base, nicknamed "Raider FOB". However, the Imperial forces were halted with the help of Luke Skywalker, who provided close air support in his X-Wing, Jedi One. As the Jedi Master's strafing runs prevented the Imperials from advancing too closely, the New Republic Marines were able to defend the base, and eventually forced the Imperials into a retreat, allowing them to solidify their hold on the Menrai Corridor. :Across the planet, various New Republic military groups began a desperate attempt to make tactical withdrawals from their garrisons and posts, back to the well-protected Menrai Corridor. While entire garrisons and batallions of the New Republic Army were wiped out, others were able to make it into the Menrai Corridor, bolstering its strength. Meanwhile, the Imperial Army continued to strengthen its hold on the rest of the planet. They destroyed garrisons, wiped out disloyal members of the Coruscant Guard, and even began lining up dissident citizens on the streets and executing them one by one. Terrified citizens who were able to escape into the Menrai Corridor were taken to the starports protected by the corridor, and prepared for potential evacuation. :The most intense region of combat erupted near the New Republic's Military Headquarters, which was in close proximity to the Imperial Palace, where Warlord Vassily Korolov had set up his base of operations. The 501st Legion and the 224th Marine Battalion in particular met in a number of violent, bloody engagements, which caused a fluxuation along the Menrai corridor that consistently ended in stalemate. Losses mounted and mounted, and it became clear quickly that the war on Corsucant would be determined by what was happening in space above. :Whoever gained space superiority would have the might to crush their enemies on the ground. The Space War Stalemated, the fleets of both the New Republic and the Galactic Empire drew into a standstill, licking their wounds and preparing themselves for the next phase of the inevitable. With the ground war blazing across the planet below, the Empire was preparing to execute its final maneuvers to route the New Republic Navy, and secure their hold over space. Where the fleets rested, however, the starfighters were hard at work. During the stalemate, most of the fighting took place between the New Republic Starfighter Corps and the TIE starfighters of the Imperial Navy, as the respective forces made efforts to pick away at the strengths and weaknesses of their enemy's battle lines. Grand Admiral Kreldin called in for the reserves: Imperial fleets tucked away in Imperial-controlled Deep Core regions, uncharted territory by the New Republic. Arriving from the Deep Core, the reserve forces joined the Imperial Fleet, encircling Coruscant and the New Republic forces. The Fall of Palliata Station :Golan Space Defense Platform Palliata, part of the original defensive web over Coruscant, was an integral part of the New Republic's space defenses. With its heavy shielding and strong weaponry, it prevented the Imperial Navy from widening their wedge in space above the planet, and interfered with the deployment of Imperial troops to the surface. The responsibility to destroy it fell to the [[ISC Broadsword|HIMS Broadsword]], with the [[ICRV Prowler|HIMS Prowler]] and HIMS Pillager, Black Squadron (Lead by CO Seifer Wolf) and War Shrike Squadron (lead by XO, Krieg Inrokana) at her side. :Ghost Squadron and Falcon Squadron rushed to defend Palliata Station the moment it came under attack, and came under heavy fire as Palliata took multiple volleys from the Imperial Fleetships. Her defenses held long enough for her commanders to hail for assistance, but a hard volley from the Broadsword caused an energy cascade within the platform, hindering life support and communications. :As Palliata Station began to flounder, support from the New Republic Second Fleet arrived from hyperspace. [[VSD Fusillade|NRSD Fusillade]], with Corellian Gunships NRCV Crux, NRCV Harrow, NRCV Dragoon, and NRCV Hydra roared into the battle. Calling for all fighters to clear a corridor and allow the gunships through, they drove the Imperial forces back, with the NRSD Fusillade striking a heavy blow on the HIMS Broadsword that weakened her shields and forced the Imperial Task Force to redeploy, at a new location near their flagship, [[SSD Malevolence|HIMS Molevolence]]. :The damage to Palliata Station, however, was too great. With life support offline, the New Republic forces declined a pursuit of their Imperial foes, neglecting instead to remain with Palliata and save her crew from death aboard the crippled defense platform. Though the loss of Palliata Station was a heavy blow, the New Republic's forces were now in a stronger position to throw a strike into Imperial territory. Attack on the Imperial Flagship :Utilizing their tactically strong position, the New Republic saw a chance to test the defenses of their enemy's flagship, the Super Star Destroyer [[SSD Malevolence|HIMS Malevolence]]. They met a hard defense, including the redeployed [[ISC Broadsword|HIMS Broadsword]] and ''Prowler'', along with two other Imperial Star Destroyers. Concentrating their firepower on the Imperial flagship, the New Republic Fleet managed to inflict severe damage on the Malevolence, before concentrated fire from the flagship's defenders tore through the Rebel Carrack Cruiser Red Star. :While the battle between naval vessels and starfighters raged on, there was one noted loss of a New Republic A-wing pilot named Seth Skyler, at the hands of War Shrike Squadron XO Krieg Inrokana. Eventually, the Imperial ships ripped through the Red Star's shields and tore the ship to pieces. With the Imperial Flagship heavy damaged and the loss of Red Star, the New Republic retreated back to their side of the engagement. The Death of Kreldin :Boosted by their relative success at weakening the Imperial Flagship ''Malevolence'', the [[NRSD Reprisal|NRSD Reprisal]] quickly put together a task force, including herself and several hundred starfighters. Their assignment was to take down Grand Admiral Kreldin in their continued effort to demoralize the Empire, after intelligence from previous starfighter engagements suggested that Kreldin was actively pursuing engagements in his Black Star I starfighter. This New Republic task force converged on the Grand Admiral, who was backed up by the persistent [[ISC Broadsword|HIMS Broadsword]] and a number of TIE Interceptor squadrons. However, despite the Empire's best efforts, Kreldin was shot down during the fighting by Ghost Squadron pilot Kyrin Sh'vani. Kreldin was believed killed, though he would resurface in some months to lead an insurrection against Aleister Vadim. A Grand Finale There's an age-old saying that's heard throughout cantinas and smuggler's dens throughout the galaxy. "When push comes to shove." Indeed, as the two most powerful military forces in the Galaxy began pushing, shoving was inevitable. The Evacuation Begins :With the Naval Forces above Coruscant locked in a silent stalemate, the war on the ground capitulated into an all out onslaught on the New Republic's Menrai Corridor. As the Imperial Army launched a coordinated effort to push through the corridor, the New Republic Marines began a tactical withdrawal to the Military Headquarters. Starting with their Forward Operations Base, the Marines began a slow retreat, taking under their protection as many civilian evacuees as possible. :Having discovered that a group of orphaned younglings were left without an overseeing minister in Wing C of the half-destroyed NR Government Complex, Aramis Tyrese called Luke Skywalker to create a plan to evacuate those children to the Reprisal. After risking a dangerous trip through space between Coruscant and the [[NRSD Reprisal|NRSD Reprisal]], Luke slipped through the Broadsword's defenses with some skillful piloting and a bit of hardball over the open frequencies. Aboard the Reprisal, a plan was developed to retrofit two Jedi ships, the Voidstalker and Rising Phoenix, to carry the younglings. :Using the cover of a minor fleet engagement on the far side of the planet, the team under Skywalker and Tyrese made landfall on Coruscant and put the plan to motion. The orphans were evacuated safely through the falling Menrai Corridor, and were brought through the edges of the same battle above, to the safety of the Reprisal. In a gutsy move, the Jedi artifacts under the safekeeping of Brandis and Kyrin were secretly smuggled along with the orphans aboard the Rising Phoenix. A Fateful Duel :After helping to evacuate the orphans, Luke Skywalker returned to Coruscant with one final mission in mind: to face Vassily Korolov in a fateful duel. The Sith Lord met the Jedi Master at the ruins of the Senate Building, and engaged in a deadly battle, pitting lightsaber against lightsaber, and anger against patience. The duel was filled with controversing dialogue, with Skywalker attempting to turn Korolov from his dark ways, and Korolov threatening Skywalker that he will fail with the Jedi order. In the end, Korolov revealed a secret weapon built into his Sith Mask, which nearly blinded Luke and forced the Jedi Master to make a hasty retreat. :Half-blinded and unable to find his way back to his ship, Skywalker called for the help of the New Republic Marines. Lt. Colonel Snal'Fashtalli Teague-Ikihsa came to his rescue, helping him get inside the collapsing Menrai Corridor and back to the Military Headquarters, where the Marine Corps was moving to make a final stand in the hopes they could protect the evacuees until the fleet was ready to escort them through the battle line. The Empire's Victory :As fighting intensified around the New Republic Headquarters on Coruscant, a climactic battle was about to begin in space above. It began when a single Imperial TIE pilot drifted his Interceptor too far from his prescribed patrol route. A simple exchange of fire between two fighters turned into an engagement between squadrons, and within minutes, it had rippled through both Fleets until the sky was ablaze with the most intense battle ever witnessed in the Galaxy. :As the Imperial Fleet pressed into Coruscant's defenders, the first group of battling fighters struggled to create a gap in the New Republic's defense line. Succeeding, two Imperial Dreadnaughts were sent to exploit the gap, bolstered with bomber wings. The New Republic met their attackers with a Victory Star Destroyer, hoping to stop them. Some extraordinary flying from the New Republic's starfighters kept the Empire from knocking out the VSD, and the Dreadnaughts had to fight their way in. Eventually, the Empire won out and created a gap that the entire Imperial fleet exploited. :Meanwhile, the New Republic Marines began collapsing their defenses as the civilian evacuation began. Civilian transports, escorted by New Republic Fleetships and Starfighters, began making a desperate run for the gravity well. A second group of Imperial starfighters engaged the New Republic's defenses, hoping to dispense with the evacuees. Both sides fought viciously, with the New Republic pilots taking out numerous fighters and the Imperials destroying or disabling several transports. :New Republic gunships were sent in to engage the Imperial fighters, hoping to bolster the protection of evacuees. The Empire responded with Marauder corvettes. One New Republic gunship strayed into a kill zone, taking out multiple Imperial pilots. In a darinig effort, the commander of War Shrike squadron engaged it and was able to score multiple hits to its power core, overloading the reactor. The battle raged on, filling the upper atmosphere of Coruscant with smoke and fire as fighters on both sides were decimated, left and right. :Higher into space, capital-scale vessels from both Fleets were engaged in an armwrestle of might and strategy. Led by the [[SSD Malevolence|HIMS Malevolence]] and the [[ISC Broadsword|HIMS Broadsword]], the Empire engaged multiple New Republic fleetships, led by the [[NRSD Reprisal|NRSD Reprisal]]. The New Republic Fleet force was able to take out numerous smaller corvettes and a couple of heavy cruisers before retreating from the onslaught of the Imperial firepower. With the Malevolence on her side, the Broadsword and her escorts were able to engage and destroy the New Republic [[VSD Monarch|VSD Monarch]], which forced the New Republic into a full scale retreat. :The New Republic's medical and civilian evacuations were able to escape unscathed in the early waves of the retreat. However, supply ships and marine transports were more vulnerable. Still, most of these ships were able to escape into hyperspace under the flailing protection of the New Republic Fleet. In this final push, the New Republic's tactical retreat ended at great expense: 40% of its entire fleet force. The Empire lost 30% of their forces, but in the end, their goals were realized. :Coruscant, Imperial Center, was back under their control. OOC Information Plot Coordinators * Prospero * Adelle * Danik * Korolov * Luke * Murdoc * Stone * Aramis * Jal'Dana * Krieg * Lynae * Wolf Role-play Logs * Korolov's Senate Bombing * The Empire Wedges In * Protecting Jedi Artifacts * [[RPlog:Retribution_-_The_Fall_of_Palliata_Station|The Fall of Palliata Station]] * Evacuation of Orphans * [[RPlog:Retribution_-_Defending_the_Malevolence|Defending the Malevolence (Part 1)]] * Jedi and Sith Duel * Reclaiming Coruscant Coruscant, Imperial Retribution of